Bad Ideas
by Dvoid
Summary: Okay, it's a pretty weird title, but it's 1a.m. and I can't think of anything else. This is a story about two kids who break into the Andromeda and...well, just read it. I think it's pretty good.
1. Chapter 1

"This is a really bad idea!" Rullin whispered.  
  
"Shush!" Estay looked behind her to see if anyone had heard them. The hall was still empty. "Don't worry," she whispered back, "we'll be fine."  
  
"We're gonna get caught!" he exclaimed.  
  
"We're not gonna get caught. They're all at the banquet. Now stand out here and keep watch," Estay commanded. "If you see anyone coming, call me on this." She handed him a small communicator she'd stolen from one of the merchant's tables that morning. "Okay?"  
  
He didn't answer, just looked at the little device doubtfully.  
  
"Okay?" Estay asked again.  
  
"Okay," he answered, clipping the device to his jacket.  
  
"Good. Now don't worry. I'll be in and out before you even know it. And just think what we can make off all the cool High Guard stuff on that ship!"  
  
Rullin smiled a little bit. "Be careful Big Sis," he said.  
  
Estay grinned; he hadn't called her that since he was ten. "I will, Little Bro," she answered. She opened the door to the hangar bay where the huge High Guard ship was docked.  
  
******************************  
  
Rullin was seated on the floor with his back against one of the metal walls. He idly flipped the small communicator as if it were a coin. Suddenly, a large shadow marched past him. It was one of the Andromeda's crew. Not only that, it was the very large, very scary Nietzschean, with a Force Lance. Rullin fumbled with the communicator. He finally managed to activate it. "Estay! Estay! Get out of there!" No answer. He scrambled up and into the hangar bay, not really knowing what he could do to help his sister.  
  
******************************  
  
Estay stood in a room labeled 'Hydroponics'. She'd already filled her bag with a lot of interesting weapons and machines. She'd even managed to get her hands on five Force Lances. Now, she was on her way out but had stopped to admire the beautiful room. She knew she shouldn't linger, but Rullin would call her if there was a problem. Speaking of Rullin, Estay thought it would be a good idea to tell him that she was all right. She'd been longer than she thought she would. She reached for the communicator clipped to her jacket, but found that it was missing. "Oh man!" she whispered. Should she retrace her steps? Estay decided just to leave.   
  
She hurried to the door, but found herself face to face with a metal android. She grabbed a Force Lance out of her bag and pointed it at the android. "Stay back or I'll shoot!"   
  
Thankfully, the android backed up. Estay ran out the door and down the hall, hoping it was the right hall to take to get out. Suddenly, the door in front of her slid closed.   
  
"Hey!" she exclaimed. She banged on the door, but to no effect. She raised the Force Lance and prepared to shoot, hoping that it would blast the door open, but before she could a hand closed around her wrist and another around her waist. "Let me go!" she screamed as the hand holding her wrist wrenched the Force Lance from her grasp. Estay struggled until she managed to turn herself so that she could see her attacker. He was a large man, very large, with dark skin and long hair. Judging from big spikes on his forearm he was a Nietzschean.  
  
Estay debated whether to fight her way loose, but after about two seconds, decided against it. He would probably squash her like a bug if she gave him any trouble. He might squash her like a bug anyway.  
  
Just then, Rullin came barreling down the hall. "Let my sister go!" he yelled as he charged the Nietzschean.  
  
******************************  
  
Dylan looked up as Tyr marched onto the bridge holding a captive in either arm. On the left was a boy about fourteen years old in tattered clothing and covered in a layer of dirt. On the right was a girl, equally as dirty and tattered. Dylan guessed that she was about eighteen or nineteen. Andromeda's hologram appeared. "That's the girl," she said. "She short circuited my hangar door, raided our weapon's locker and Harper's workshop, and when I tried to stop her she threatened one of my androids with a Force Lance," she turned to from Dylan to the girl, "which, by the way, was backwards. You could have shot yourself!"  
  
The girl didn't answer, she just stared at the floor.  
  
"Let them go, Tyr," Dylan commanded.  
  
Tyr released them. "May I go now?" he demanded. "Or do you have more babysitting duties for me?"  
  
"You can go," Dylan said. He turned back to the girl. "What are your names?"  
  
Neither one answered.  
  
"Well, I'm Captain Dylan Hunt and this is my ship, the /Andromeda Ascendant/, that you broke into."  
  
"That would be me," Andromeda added.  
  
"Now, do you want to tell my why you broke into my ship, or should I just turn you over to the authorities now?"  
  
The girl looked up. "We needed money. We thought we could sell some of the stuff off of here."  
  
"Didn't it occur to you that we might object?" Dylan asked.  
  
"Didn't think you'd notice till we were long gone," the girl replied.  
  
"Well /I/ noticed!" Andromeda exclaimed.  
  
"I didn't know the ship was alive," the girl said.  
  
"Well, I'm sorry, but we're going to have to turn you over to the authorities," Dylan said. "'Rommie, have an android escort them to the hangar bay."  
  
Their eyes widened in fear. "Oh, come on, please don't do that! We're sorry, really, really sorry! We'll never do it again! Please don't report us!" the girl begged.  
  
"I'm sorry, but I have to obey the laws," Dylan replied. The android arrived and reached for the kids, but the girl evaded the its grasp.  
  
"They'll ship us off to some prison planet!" the girl exclaimed.  
  
The memories of his own stay at a prison planet, Helios Nine, sprang up all to vividly in Dylan's mind. He sighed. "Fine, I'll let you off with a warning, but I want your word that you will never do anything like this again."  
  
"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" the girl exclaimed. "You're a saint! Really. A great guy! The best!" All the time she and her companion were backing to the door. They reached it and bolted out the door. The girl shouted something like, "Thanks, bye!" over her shoulder. Dylan shook his head.  
  
"Do you think that was wise?" Andromeda asked.  
  
"Probably not," Dylan answered.  
  
"Hmm, well, the Ambassador is calling. He wants to know, if the situation on your ship has been solved, can you meet him for lunch tomorrow?"  
  
Dylan nodded. "Sure, tell him whatever's convenient for him. I'm just glad he still wants to meet with us."  
  
Andromeda shook her head. "Just you, he's requested that you meet him alone."  
  
Dylan thought for a moment, but this wasn't an extremely unusual request, especially after some of the comments Tyr had made. "All right, I'll tell the others they can do some sight seeing."  
  
***********************  
  
The next morning, Beka, Trance, Rommie, Harper, and, reluctantly, Tyr set out to do some sight seeing in the incredible metal, dome city. Trance immediately dragged Beka and Rommie off to shop for some new clothes and possibly a native plant or two for her garden. That left Tyr and Harper together...for about ten seconds. Then, Tyr decided to check out some weapon store and Harper was left to wander farther down the street alone. He strolled along taking in the sites. Suddenly, he got a strange feeling, as if he was being watched. Idly, he glanced behind him, but saw no one. He turned down a deserted street. This time he was sure he heard footsteps following him. He quickened his pace, realizing that he was in a deserted construction zone. A small guardrail fenced off a metal shaft. Harper realized he'd just cut himself off from any hope of help...or witnesses. He heard the footsteps again, closer this time. He turned again and found himself face to face with a man. Before he could react, the man lifted him off his feet and dumped him over the guardrail and down into the mile long shaft.  
  
That's the end of chapter one. Wondering what happens next? So am I. I guess we'll find out in a few days. Please R&R.  



	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Due to overwhelming reviews (begging) I'm putting this up a lot sooner than I thought I would...  
  
  
Estay and Rullin were walking through the Market Sector of the dome when Rullin spotted some familiar faces. "Hey it's that guy!" he said in a hushed but excited voice.  
  
"What guy?" Estay asked, following his gaze.  
  
"That guy who was on the High Guard ship yesterday," Rullin clarified.  
  
Estay's eyes widened and she pulled Rullin into a darkened corner of the street. "That's not a guy, that's a Nietzschean! A very big, very mean Nietzschean who forcibly escorted us off of the ship we broke into yesterday. So, lets make sure he doesn't see us."   
  
They watched from their hiding place as the Nietzschean, three women, one who Estay recognized as the ship's avatar, and one other human man made their way down the street. The three women split off from the two men and entered a little shop. Soon after, the Nietzschean entered a different shop leaving the human man alone. Estay was about to suggest they relocate to a safer part of the dome when she spotted someone even more frightening than a Nietzschean with a grudge. "Rully look!" she exclaimed, pointing to the man who had just stepped out of a restaurant. To anyone who didn't know what he was, he would appear to be a normal tourist or possibly a merchant on lunch break. But Estay and Rullin knew better.  
  
"What's a member of the Secret Police doing out here?" Rullin asked. He gulped and grabbed her arm. "Think he's looking for us again?" They'd been busted by this particular guard, Merdan, about a year ago. It wasn't something Estay cared to relive.  
  
To her relief, Merdan didn't even glance their way. He seemed more interested in the human man who had been with the Nietzschean. Merdan followed the man as he strolled down the street. "Okay, now it's really time to go," Estay remarked, grabbing Rully's hand and trying to lead him in the opposite direction.   
  
"Wait Estay," Rullin said, pulling away. "If Merdan is after him, this guy is in real trouble."  
  
"And?" Estay demanded, crossing her arms.  
  
"I wanna see what he's going to do."  
  
Estay looked at him as if he'd just sprouted wings. "Are you insane?" she demanded.  
  
"Come on, Estay, I always go along with your crazy ideas," Rullin reminded her. "Now come on, before we lose them."  
  
Estay followed, mumbling, "I'm a bad influence on you."  
  
The man seemed to have notice that he was being followed. He kept turning to look behind him. Of course, Merdan was too inconspicuous to notice. All he had to do to blend in was look as though he was browsing a nearby merchant's table. Estay and Rullin were too far away to be noticed. The man turned down a deserted street.   
  
"Big mistake," Estay muttered. She pulled Rullin back as he was about to enter the street after them. "Don't it's a dead end with nowhere to hide. Remember, I came down here when that merchant was chasing me last week."  
  
"Oh yeah," Rullin said. "But how do we see what Merdan's doing?"  
  
"Just wait," Estay commanded. A few minutes later Merdan came strolling back out as if he'd just been for a stroll.   
  
"Come on!" Rullin said, ducking down the street Merdan had come out of.  
  
"Rullin!" Estay protested, but it was too late. She had no choice but to follow. They walked all the way to the end where a circulation shaft was being renovated. There was no sign of the man.  
  
"Where'd he go?" Rullin asked.  
  
Estay had a pretty good idea what had happened. She walked to the guardrail built in front of the opening to the shaft and looked down. Her hunch was right. The man hung a few feet down on one of the metal poles running horizontally across the shaft. Rullin joined her at the rail and gasped when he caught sight of the man.  
  
"We have to help him," he exclaimed. He looked at her pointedly.  
  
"Oh no, not a chance!" Estay answered. She backed up from the rail.  
  
"Come on, Estay, you did it before when you were running from that merchant."  
  
"Yeah, and the bars nearly gave way before I could reach a safe opening," Estay shot back.  
  
"Estay, he's part of that Captain guy's crew," Rullin said.  
  
"So?"  
  
"So, we owe him."  
  
"When did you become such a do-gooder?" Estay demanded.  
  
"Estay," Rullin said in a pleading voice.  
  
"Aw hell," Estay muttered. She threw a leg over the rail. "You, go get that Nietzschean and have him down on the level 54 opening as soon as possible."  
  
"Done!" Rullin said, running back down the road.  
  
Estay gulped and dropped down onto the nearest pole. She grabbed hold of it with practiced ease and swung down to the next. A few minutes later, she reached the pole above the man. She held on with her legs, so that she hung upside down above him. "Hi," she said.  
  
"Help!" the man exclaimed, hysterically.  
  
"Here," Estay said, holding her arms out to him. "Grab hold."  
  
"No, no way!" the man cried. "You'll drop me!"  
  
"I'm not going to drop you!" Estay exclaimed. There was a creaking sound from her left; the man's pole was giving out. "Take my hands now! Or your bar is going to drop you!" Another creak, this time from the right. Estay wondered how long she had until her own gave out. Not long, she guessed. "Come on!" she yelled.   
  
He shook his head. "No way!"   
  
The creaking was getting louder and more sustained. "Do it!" Estay begged. "Trust me, I won't drop you."  
  
The man slowly peeled the fingers of his left hand free and reached for her arm. Just then the entire pole broke loose, leaving him hanging by one hand from her.  
  
"Give me your other hand!" Estay exclaimed. The man flailed wildly and finally managed to grab her other arm. She sighed in relief. "Okay, now swing your legs."  
  
"What?" the man demanded.  
  
"Swing your legs. See that opening in front of you? We're aiming for that," Estay explained.  
  
"Okay," the man said. He swung his legs and, slowly, he began to gain momentum.  
  
"Okay, Estay, we're here," Rullin yelled, appearing in the opening along with the Nietzschean.  
  
"Great, get ready to catch," Estay commanded. "On three," she announced.  
  
"No way!" the man exclaimed.  
  
Estay ignored him. "One," her own bar was beginning to creak, "two," the creaking grew louder, "three!" Estay let go of the man and he flew toward the opening. The Nietzschean managed to grab hold of his legs, leaving him dangling head first over the guardrail.  
  
"Pull me up! Pull me up!" the man yelled.  
  
The Nietzschean rolled his eyes and hauled the other man up by his shirt.  
  
Estay grinned in triumph, but her triumph was short lived. All of the sudden her own bar gave out on one side, causing her to lose her grip and slide down. If it hadn't been for the square mounting slab on the end of the metal pole, she would have slid off and plummeted to her death. Now, she dangled from one end of the pole while the other barely held on to the wall.  
  
"Estay!" Rullin yelled.  
  
"I'm okay," Estay assured him. "For the moment." She took a deep breath and tried to formulate a plan. She had what she thought was a fairly simple plan, if not a bit crazy. "Okay, Rully, meet me on level 53," she said.  
  
"What?" Rullin demanded.  
  
"I'm going to drop down and swing over to the level 53 opening," she clarified. It would be dangerous. With, the one pole missing, it would be a good ten-foot drop to the next. If she let go wrong she might miss it and keep on going until she hit the floor 53 floors later. Even if she did manage to catch the pole, it might be too weak and give way leading to the same scenario as previously discussed.  
  
"Are you insane?" Rullin demanded.  
  
She grinned. "Do you have to ask?"  
  
Rullin just gave her a terrified look, then sprinted down the road.  
  
Estay took a deep breath, positioned herself as best she could, and let go.  
  
  
Another cliffhanger, almost literally. Oh well, next chapter in a few days. If not less. Please R&R, thanks to those who did. 


	3. Chapter 3

Estay windmilled her hands in an attempt to keep herself from losing the position she needed to catch herself. She didn't know how she managed to do it. One minute she was watching the walls rush up -well, actually it was her rushing down- she only saw the bar for a split second, but managed to catch it. It held. Estay laughed in relief. She swung one leg up onto the pole, then pulled herself into a sitting position. Luckily, this pole ran just above the opening to level 53. All she had to do was crawl over and swing down...in theory. Estay swung down so that she was hanging from her legs, which were locked securely around the pole. Then, began pulling herself along until she reached the wall with the opening. "Rully!" she called.  
  
"Estay!" Rullin's head poked out of the opening. "You did it! I can't believe it!"  
  
"Me neither. Get ready, I'm coming down." She let go with her legs and stretched. Her toes just barely touched the top of the guardrail. Rullin grabbed her ankles. "Ready?" she asked.  
  
"Ready," Rullin answered.  
  
Estay let go and ducked down as quickly as she could, hoping she didn't bash her head on the wall. Her head cleared the opening, barely. Estay managed to throw her weight so that when she fell, she fell into the opening. She ended up on top of Rullin on the floor. "That," she said, rolling off of him and giving him a hand up, "was the stupidest thing I've ever done."  
  
She looked down the road and caught sight of the man she'd saved and the Nietzschean hurrying towards them. "You saved my life!" the man exclaimed.  
  
Estay shrugged, "You're welcome. Oh, and tell your captain we're even now." She started to pull Rullin away.  
  
"Hey wait," the man said, "I'm Harper, that's Tyr."  
  
"I'm Estay, this is Rullin." Estay answered.  
  
"Got any idea why that guy tried to kill me?" Harper asked.  
  
"Oh yeah," Rullin said, "that was--" Estay clapped a hand over his mouth.  
  
"What's it worth to you?" she asked.  
  
"What?" Tyr demanded. "You tell us right now you little--"  
  
"Hey now," Estay interrupted, "that's no way to talk to the only people who know what's going and what it means for you and your friends."  
  
Tyr sighed impatiently. "What do you want?"  
  
"A favor, a big one, to be paid on demand by your captain. In return we'll help you in every way we can to get off of this planet alive. Deal?"  
  
Harper looked like he was about to protest, but Tyr answered, "Deal," before Harper could say anything.  
  
"Great!" Estay exclaimed. "Now, the man who attacked you was Merdan, head of the government's Secret Police. He and his friends are probably going after your other crewmembers as we speak. Your captain's probably already been captured."  
  
"Trance, Beka, and Rommie, we have to go find them!" Harper exclaimed.  
  
"Good idea," Estay said.  
  
They ran back onto the main street. It was considerably less crowded. There was a row of Secret Police lined up in front of a botanical shop. They all had weapons aimed at the building.  
  
"I think we found 'em," Estay commented. "There's Merdan," she pointed to the man standing behind the firing line. Estay turned to Tyr and Harper. "If I distract a few of them, do you think you can take the rest out?"  
  
Tyr nodded and took out his Force Lance. Harper looked less confident, but did the same. "How will you distract them?" Tyr asked.  
  
"Fairly easily, Merdy and I have a...history."  
  
"Estay," Rullin said, "I hope you aren't planning what I think you are."  
  
"Hey, it's my turn to have a bad idea, remember?" She patted him on the arm. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. Stay here." Estay ran out of her hiding place and into the middle of the street. She gave a shrill whistle, drawing everyone's attention and yelled, "Hey Merdy! Remember me?"  
  
He gave her a dark look and growled, "You!"  
  
"Okay, that'd be a 'yes'."  
  
Merdan turned to his troops. "You, you, you, and you," he said pulling four random men up, "get her. Alive," he added as an afterthought.  
  
"Four? I'm flattered." Estay dashed off down the road as the men started towards her.  
  
*****************************  
  
Four men took off after Estay, leaving Tyr and Harper to deal with the other seven. "Come on," Tyr said, aiming his Force Lance. They'd taken up a defensive position behind one of the sturdier merchant stands, just close enough to fire on them. He shot one of the Secret Police, then ducked back down. That got their attention, the Police turned from the store and returned fire, not knowing where to shoot. Beka poked her head up in a window of the store and shot another one of the guards.   
  
By this time Merdan, had caught on to the fact that he was surrounded. "You two cover the store. You two cover the other way." He, in the mean time, had retreated to the sidelines. "You're outnumbered!" he called to them.  
  
"Actually," Tyr said, shooting another guard, then ducking down before they could shoot him, "you're outnumbered."  
  
Merdan snarled. "Get them! Get them! Charge!" The Police didn't seem to like that idea much, but they did as they were told. Tyr and Harper picked them off easily.  
  
"Now who is outnumbered?" Tyr asked, emerging from his hiding place and aiming his Force Lance at Merdan.  
  
Merdan growled. "This isn't over." He dashed off down the road before Tyr or the others could fire.  
  
  
That's it for now. No cliffhanger, aren't ya proud? Thanks for all the reviews. Keep it up. :)  



	4. Chapter 4

  
  
Dylan looked up as a girl was dragged into the prison by three guards. He recognized her as the girl who'd broken into his ship. The guards unlocked the cell across from his and pushed the girl in. "Hey!" she exclaimed. "There's no need to be rough! Jeez, are you guys still mad about the whole chase thing? I'm sure that other guard will recover." The guards didn't answer. They locked her arms into the chains against the far wall. "Oooh, these are new," the girl commented. "They're nice. They add to the whole dungeon effect."  
  
"Shut up," one of the guards commanded sharply.  
  
"Geez, you're touchy. The guards last time weren't nearly as crabby!" she yelled as the left the prison, locking her cell door after themselves. After they were gone, the girl finally noticed Dylan. "Oh, hi Captain. Looks like you let me go for nothing, huh?"  
  
"What did you do to get in here?" he asked.  
  
The girl took a deep breath. "I interfered in government matters, I aided and abetted enemies of the government, I resisted arrest, and I assaulted members of the Secret Police."  
  
Dylan shook his head. "How did you manage to get into so much trouble in one day?"  
  
"Oh, I met up with your friends, saved their lives, helped them escape from the S.P. You're all enemies of the government now, you know?"  
  
"I'm still trying to figure out what I did," Dylan said. "Why did the Ambassador turn on me like that?"  
  
The girl laughed, "You didn't know? The Ambassador's been running this place like a police state for the past decade. He and his Secret Police do and take whatever they want. Now you come and want to spoil all their fun with law and order? What did you think would happen?"  
  
"Yes, what in deed, Captain Hunt?" asked a new voice from the shadows. A man in a Secret Police uniform stepped out.  
  
"Merdy!" the girl exclaimed. "Long time no see."  
  
"And you," Merdy said, stepping up to the bars of the girl's cage, "from petty theft to treason, what am I to do with you?"  
  
"I vote you release me," the girl offered.  
  
Merdy laughed. "Not likely. I owe you."  
  
"Oh, that's okay, I'm willing to let old debts be forgotten," the girl said.  
  
"But I'm not," Merdy answered. "You made me look like a fool, little girl. When you and your brother escaped my prison last year, the Ambassador decided that I wasn't ready to be promoted. I should have my own ship to command by now! Instead, I was sentenced to another ten years working as keeper of this hellhole."  
  
The girl shrugged. "Sorry."  
  
Merdy growled. "You will be. First, you are going to tell me how you escaped my prison. Then, you will tell me where the Captain's crew went."  
  
"Then, you'll just let me go, right?" the girl retorted sarcastically.  
  
"No, then I'm going to kill you," Merdy replied. He turned Dylan's way "But first, the Ambassador would like me to get a recording of Captain Dylan confessing his guilt on the charge of treason."  
  
"If the Ambassador didn't want to join the Commonwealth all he had to do was say so," Dylan said. "There's no need for this."  
  
Merdy shook his head. "Unfortunately, the Ambassador has to answer to higher powers, the Council namely, and they like the idea of joining the Commonwealth. The fools! Of course, they have no idea how the Ambassador and the Secret Police have been running the sector. They've secluded themselves in their private dome for so long that they've lost touch with reality. Imagine, believing in such fairy tales as the Commonwealth! The problem is, they've got the people believing it too. But you're confession will change all of that."  
  
"Sorry, to disappoint you, but I'm not going to confess," Dylan answered.  
  
"I knew you'd say that," Merdy said, "but I think you'll change your mind." With that, he left.  
  
"Well, he's still a bundle of laughs," the girl declared.  
  
"Who was that?" Dylan demanded.  
  
"Merdan, head of the Secret Police. You probably guessed that last part. I'm Estay by the way," the girl said. "I don't think I told you my name before."  
  
"Well, Estay, Merdan said that you escaped from his jail before. Think you can do it again?"  
  
Estay nodded. "Definitely...as soon as I figure out how to get out of these chains. Merdy is really going too far with this ancient dungeon theme."  
  
***************************  
  
Beka, Rommie, and Trance emerged cautiously from the building, now full of holes. "Thanks for the rescue," Beka said. "Who were those guys?"  
  
"Secret Police," Harper answered.  
  
"Apparently, the Ambassador isn't as thrilled with the Commonwealth proposal as he pretends," Tyr said.  
  
"Yeah, he sent his goons to kill me!" Harper added.  
  
"Kill you?" Trance exclaimed. "How?"  
  
"He threw me down an airshaft!" Harper answered. "If Estay and Rullin hadn't come along, I'd be a Harper pancake right now."  
  
"Who?" Rommie asked.  
  
"You remember the two that broke into the ship yesterday?" Tyr said.  
  
"Hey speaking of," Harper said turning to Rullin, "where is Estay, anyway?"  
  
Rullin frowned. "I don't know, she should have been back by now. She must have gotten into trouble. Again."   
  
Just then, a little girl, about eight years old, ran up. She was dirty and dressed in rags just like Rullin. "Rully! Rully!" she yelled. "The S.P.s got Estay!"  
  
"What?" Tyr demanded.  
  
"The S.P.s got Estay!" the girl repeated. "I saw the whole thing!"  
  
"What happened, Holy?" Rullin asked.  
  
"These four S.P.s chased her down Main Street. Then she turned off onto fourth, but she must not've know that they'd closed it down for repairs. It was a dead end! So she turned, and POW!!" the girl illustrated with a fist in the air. "She decked the first guy, then the next two ran up and tried to grab her, but she did that back flip thing with no hands. Then, she grabbed this metal pole and WHACK!!" the girl pretended she was holding a pole in two hands and swung so forcefully that she spun all the way around. "Right to the head. But the other three grabbed it and pinned her against the wall till they could get the restraints on her. Then, you know what happens next, a trip to that wacko's dungeon. He's not going to be happy to see her again. Well, good luck. See ya, Rully." The girl ran off down the street and disappeared between two stores.  
  
"What dungeon was she talking about?" Tyr asked.  
  
"Merdan's dungeon," Rullin answered. "I've been there before. Now, I guess we have to go get her out. Works out nicely though, that's where your captain probably is by now."  
  
  
That's all for now. Sorry it took so long. Does this count as a cliffhanger? Anyway, thanks for reviewing. Keep it up :).  



	5. Chapter 5

"Are we really going to go through with this plan? It's suicidal," Tyr said as he reloaded a weapon. They were sitting in an alley preparing for an attack on the dungeon.  
  
"Well, if you've got a better one let's hear it," Beka answered.  
  
Tyr was silent.  
  
"I would've thought you'd like this plan," Beka continued. "It seems like your style."  
  
"It is not my style to use children in my attacks!" Tyr said angrily.  
  
Beka laughed. "So that's your problem. You're upset that we're the diversion and Rullin's the one doing the rescue. Face it Tyr, you like playing the hero."  
  
Before Tyr could answer Rommie, Harper, and Trance came in carrying an armload of weapons. "Okay," Harper said dumping his weapons on the ground, "that's the last of 'em. Are you sure we need all this?"  
  
"From what Rullin says, the Secret Police is made up of thousands of guards," Beka replied. "Trust me, we need 'em."  
  
Rullin hurried down the alley way carrying a wrapped bundle under his arm. "Are we ready?" he asked.  
  
Beka nodded.  
  
"Great, take your positions and tell me when your in place," Rullin said.  
  
Tyr rolled his eyes as Rullin hurried off. "Are we really going taking orders from a child?" he demanded.  
  
"Yes Tyr," Rommie answered. "Our Captain's life depends on it. Trust me it will be in your best interests to listen to him," she said in a threatening voice.  
  
Tyr growled "Suit yourselves, but we're probably going to be killed in this plan anyway." With that he left the alley to take his position.  
  
****************************  
  
Rullin knelt down in front of the air duct for the dungeon. He made sure that the bundle containing his tools was securely wrapped. "We're in postion," Andromeda notified him.  
  
"Great," Rullin answered. "As soon as you hear the alarm, start blasting."  
  
"Okay."  
  
Rullin pried off the grid over the air duct. Immediately an alarm inside the building sounded. That was the cue for the others to start fighting. Rullin crawled inside the airduct and replaced the grid. He began wrigling his way down the narrow tube. "I can't believe I'm breaking /into/ the dungeon," he muttered as he continued down the duct. "Estay, I'm going to kill you."  
  
"Well, can you rescue me first?" came a familiar voice from below.  
  
Rullin jumped -not a good thing to do in a small airduct- and bumped his head on the ceiling. "Ow!" Rullin looked down through the grid. "Estay is that you?"  
  
"No, it's Merdan doing impressions," Estay replied sarcastically. "Of course it's me! Now get down here and break us out, would ya?"  
  
"Who's this 'us'?" Rullin asked as he took out his mini laser saw and cut the grid open. He dropped down onto the floor of the hallway between two cages.  
  
"You remember Captain Hunt," Estay said.  
  
Rullin glanced behind him to the man in the cage opposite Estay. It was the Captain from the ship they'd broken into. "Oh, hi Captain."  
  
"Hi," the Captain said.  
  
"Yoo-hoo, Rully! Wanna get to the rescuing here? I'm not getting any younger," Estay exclaimed.  
  
"Yeah, yeah," Rullin said. He took off the bundle of tools and unrolled it on the floor. "Why didn't you just escape like you did before?"  
  
Estay wrattled the chains around her wrists. "Slight problem."  
  
"Oh, those are new," Rullin remarked. He began cutting the bars off the Estay's cage.  
  
"No wait, toss me a laser saw and I'll get myself out," Estay said. "You get the Captain free."  
  
"Okay, you ready?" Rullin asked.  
  
"Uh-huh," Estay answered. Rullin tossed the laser saw to her, but it fell short and landed on the ground. "Oh, nice throw," she said sarcastically.  
  
Rullin shrugged. "Sorry."  
  
"Just free the Captain," Estay replied annoyedly. She nudged the laser saw with one foot until it rested on top of the other one. Then she kicked it up and caught it in her right hand. "I'm good!" she exclaimed. Twisting her wrist, she cut the chains off of her right hand. Then used her free hand to cut the other one loose.   
  
It only took a few minutes to cut the cage open. She stepped out just as Rully and the Captain emerged from the other cage. "Lets go," Rullin said.  
  
"You're not going anywhere," a voice from behind them said. Estay looked from Rullin to the tool bag with a meaningful glance. Rullin nodded imperceptably.  
  
"Merdy, you have horrible timing," Estay said turning.  
  
"I see you've managed to get out of my prison again," Merdan said.  
  
Estay shrugged. "This time I had a laser saw. Last time it was a little bit harder."  
  
"And how did you get out last time?" Merdan asked.  
  
Estay laughed. "I can't believe you didn't figure it out! I mean, think about it. How is it that I could escape from your maximum security dungeon and not the regular prison?"  
  
"I don't know!" Merdan growled.  
  
"Fine, I'll show you," Estay said. She walked over to the cage. "See, the secret is the bars. Old fashioned iron bars. Well, imitation iron."  
  
"So?" Merdan demanded. "I'm losing my patience," he threatened.  
  
"So? So that's how I escaped." She sighed in annoyance. "Here, watch." Estay took a couple of deep breaths. On the last breath she exhaled as hard as she could, compressing her ribcage. Then she squeezed through the small opening between two bars. At last, she stood triumphant inside the cage. "Ta-da!" Estay walked around and out through the open door. "Simple, huh?"  
  
"That! That was how you escaped?" Merdan demanded angrily. "All this time examining my layout, my security measures, worrying if more would find the way to escape!"  
  
Estay shrugged. "Not unless they're really skinny."  
  
Merdan gave an angry yell and lunged for Estay, but Rullin, who had used Estay's diversion to grab a tool from his pack, bashed Merdan on the back of the head.  
  
"Good work," Estay said. "Now lets get out of here."  
  
  
That's the end of the chapter. More soon. Please R&R. 


	6. Chapter 6

Estay and Rullin sat in Andromeda's Mess Hall inhaling as much food as they could. "Slow down or you'll make yourselves sick," Trance warned. She set two steaming mugs down on the table in front of them. "I made you some tea."  
  
"Thanks," Estay said, eyeing the tea warily. She took a sip and nodded to Rully, signifying that it was okay. "So you guys sure have a lot of food here."  
  
"Oh, yes," Trance answered enthusiastically. "If you want, after you eat I'll take you to Hydroponics and show you where some of it is grown."  
  
"Thanks, but I've already seen it," Estay replied. "I took a quick tour when I broke in the other night."  
  
"I didn't get to see it!" Rully protested. "I'd like a tour," he said to Trance.  
  
"Sure! I'll take you as soon as you're done eating," Trance said.  
  
"Oh, I'm done. We can go," Rulllin said.  
  
"Coming?" Trance asked Estay. Rully shook his head from behind Trance's back.  
  
Estay tried not to smile. "You two go ahead. I want to talk to the Captain." As soon as the two were out of the room, Estay couldn't help but chuckle a little. "His first crush," she muttered as she left the Mess Hall.  
  
******************************  
  
Estay knocked on the door to Captain Hunt's office. It slid open to reveal him sitting at his desk reading a Floppy. He looked up. "Oh, hi. How was your dinner."  
  
"Best one I've had in days," Estay answered. "Come to think of it, it was the only one I've had in days." She sat down in the chair opposite his.  
  
"Did you need something?" the Captain asked in a tone that told her he had been expecting this.  
  
"I don't know if they told you, but two of your crew members made a deal. Rullin and I agreed to rescue you in return for a favor from you," Estay explained.  
  
Dylan crossed his arms. "What kind of favor?"  
  
"Rully and me want to join the crew."  
  
"What?" Dylan demanded, caught completely off guard.   
  
"We want to come with you."  
  
"I can't do that," Dylan answered.  
  
"Why not? You owe us."  
  
Dylan sighed. "I realize that, but life on this ship can be very dangerous. I couldn't expose two children to that."  
  
"We can handle it," Estay assured him.   
  
Dylan shook his head. "I really couldn't do that."  
  
"If you leave us here, Merdy'll kill us!"  
  
"How about this," Dylan said, "in return for your rescue, we'll drop you anywhere in the galaxy you want to go."  
  
"Fine." Estay stood up and marched out of the room, trying not to show her anger.  
  
*************************  
  
Estay found Rullin waiting in the Mess Hall. "How was your date?" she asked, grinning and poking him in the ribs.  
  
"It wasn't a date it was a tour!" he exclaimed angrily.  
  
"Sure," Estay replied still grinning.  
  
"So how'd your meeting with the Captain go?" Rullin asked, changing the subject.  
  
Estay frowned. "Not as well as I'd hoped, but don't worry I have a plan."  
  
"Oh, I hate it when you say that!" Rullin exclaimed.  
  
"Oh come on, I have good plans!"  
  
"Yeah? Name one," Rullin retorted.  
  
Estay thought for a moment. "Shut up."  
  
"So, what's your plan?" Rullin asked.  
  
"We're going to go find Cad."  
  
"Cad!!! But he's a psycho! He's got multiple personalities!"  
  
"Yeah, but they all like me...except for Kel. And he hardly ever surfaces. Cad'll take us in and give us a nice cushy job. Like raiding merchant ships or running casino cons."  
  
"This is not a good plan! Cad's insane! He's killed people for looking at him the wrong way!"  
  
"Stop exagerating. He's not that bad. Relax, it'll turn out all right," Estay soothed. She smiled. "Trust me."  
  
"Oh, I hate it when you say that, too!"  
  
  
Sorry it took so long. Thanks for the reviews. :) 


	7. Chapter 7

The Andromeda dropped out of slipstream near an abandoned planet. "Wow! That was cool!" Estay exclaimed. "I've never ridden in slipstream befor."  
  
"All right, these are the coordinates you gave me," Dylan said. "Where is this Cad?"  
  
"He's around here somewhere," Estay replied studying the view of the stars. "At least he was the last I heard."  
  
"This is pointless!" Tyr exclaimed. "She is obviously leading us on a wild goose chase."  
  
Just then, the hologram of Andromeda appeared. "I'm picking something up. It's moving out from behind the moon's shadow." They all watched as a huge ship came into view.   
  
Estay turned and stuck her tongue out at Tyr. "Told you."  
  
"I have an incoming message from the ship," Andromeda announced.  
  
"Put it on screen," Dylan commanded.  
  
A man appeared before them. He had spiked blond hair and brown eyes outlined with black eyeliner. He was dressed in black leather and reclined on a pile of cushions with about twenty women surrounding him. "This is my territory," the man said, in an uninterested tone. He paused as one of the women fed him a grape, then said, "Pay the toll or die."  
  
"Would you accept two slightly used thieves?" Estay asked.  
  
This got the man's attention. He studied Estay and Rullin closely. "My, my, it's been a long time. You two've grown. How have you been?"  
  
"Actually, we ran into a little trouble," Estay replied. "You remember Merdan? Well, we kinda had another run in with him."  
  
"Oh? Ended badly, did it?"  
  
"Only for him. He's a bit angry at us. So, I thought why not go live with our good friend Cad? Maybe work a few odd jobs?"  
  
Cad rubbed his chin. "Hmm, there is a slight problem, I'm not Cad."  
  
Estay blinked. "Oh, who are you then? Tal?"   
  
The man shook his head.   
  
"Bek?"  
  
"Uh-uh."  
  
"Pim?"  
  
"Try again."  
  
"Ren?"  
  
"Sorry."  
  
Estay fidgeted nervously. There was only one left. "Kel?"  
  
"Correct!" Kel stood up and walked closer until his face filled the screen. "So, I have a different idea for you little girl," he said menacingly. "Why don't I blast you and everyone else aboard into dust?" He laughed maniacally then cut communications.  
  
Estay frowned and turned to face the crew. Rully had his arms crossed. She shrugged. "What are the odds?"  
  
"Kel's ship is powering up their weapons," Andromeda announced.  
  
"I thought you said this guy was your friend," Beka said.  
  
"Well it's complicated," Estay replied. "He has six different personalities. Five like me."  
  
"Andromeda, come about," Dylan commanded. "Beka prepare to slipstream as soon as we're clear of Kel's ship."  
  
They managed to escape just before Kel fired. Estay breathed a sigh of relief. "Don't worry, he won't follow us. He never leaves his territory."  
  
"That was your plan?" Captain Hunt demanded angrily.   
  
Estay shrugged. "Yeah."  
  
"You endangered everyone aboard this ship!"  
  
"Sorry. This doesn't count as my favor does it?" Estay asked. "You're still gonna bring us somewhere right?"  
  
"Oh, and where would you like to go next? The Magog homeworld perhaps!?!" Tyr demanded. "Captain, we should drop them both off at the next planet we see."  
  
"No, no, wait!" Estay exclaimed. "Don't you think you're overreacting just a bit? I mean, you did say you faced danger all the time. This can't be too much of a change."  
  
"I said we face danger not search it out!" Dylan shot back.  
  
"Um, actually, sometimes we do," Beka interjected. Dylan shot her a look. She threw up her hands in defense. "Sorry, butting out."  
  
Estay sighed. "Look Captain, I'm sorry I almost got us killed but I promise this next place isn't dangerous at all."  
  
Rullin looked at her in surprise. "And where is that?"  
  
Estay looked at the floor. "Rylos 7," she muttered.  
  
"What? Oh, no. No, no, no!" Rully exclaimed.  
  
"What's so bad about that?" Trance asked. "It's supposed to be a really nice place to visit. Very safe."  
  
"Do you know why that is?" Tyr asked. "Because the punishment for almost every crime is death."  
  
"Not the best place to start a career as a thief," Beka pointed out.  
  
"Hey, they can't kill ya if they can't catch ya," Estay replied.  
  
The Captain shook his head. "No, I'm not dropping you of on some planet so that you can steal and get yourselves killed."  
  
"Well, what do you suggest?" Estay demanded. "We're not going to anymore orphanages. What do you want us to do, farm?"  
  
"No..." Dylan said. "I've decided that I'm going to keep an eye on you two myself."  
  
Estay crossed her arms. "Meaning..."  
  
"You can stay."  
  
"Yes!" Rullin exclaimed. "Thank you, thank you, thank you."  
  
"This is not wise. Not only will we have to babysit these two brats, but we will be in even more danger than usual because of that one's schemes," Tyr said leveling a glare on Estay.  
  
"Oh, no, we'll behave I promise," Estay said.  
  
"You had better," Dylan warned.  
  
  
Yay! Fanfiction.net lives again and I'm back from my camping trip. So...a round of chapters for everyone. 


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Well, it's been a while. Sorry :( It's been a hectic few months (Don't ask). Hopefully I'll be writing in all of my stories again. And hopefully people are still reading them. Anyway...  
  
  
Since they were staying, Tyr insisted that both Rully and Estay take baths and keep taking them. Estay discovered that she had red hair, hidden under all those years' worth of grime. Rullin's was brown. And, since they were weeks away from the nearest store, Rommie, Beka, and Trance donated some articles from their wardrobes to Estay. Reluctantly, Harper donated some outfits to Rullin. Estay ended up in a green halter top from Beka and some black pants from Rommie. Rullin, who was a bit too small for Harper's clothes, ended up in a baggy red and brown T-shirt, khaki pants with the bottoms rolled up, and one of Harper's old belts to hold them up.  
  
"Geez," Beka commented as she saw Rully's outfit, "they were baggy enough on Harper. We really need to go shopping."  
  
"Well, we could ask Dylan to make a special trip," Trance suggested.  
  
"Sorry," Rommie said. "We're off to Arigon V."  
  
"Where's that?" Trance asked.  
  
"It's a little teeny world in Hematite constellation," Beka answered. "No shopping there. Oh well, I guess they'll have to make do for a while. Estay doesn't look half bad though."  
  
"I'll say," Harper said, grinning as she walked by him. He turned to watch her walk down the hallway.  
  
"Harper!" Trance exclaimed.  
  
Beka slapped him in the back of the head.  
  
"Ow! What did I do?" Harper demanded.  
  
"She's too young for you!" Trance exclaimed and stalked off.   
  
"What was that about?" Harper asked, scratching his head as Trance disappeared around the corner. Beka and Rommie exchanged a look and then took off the other way, leaving Harper to shrug and mutter, "Women!"  
  
**************************  
  
Estay walked onto the observation deck and stopped as she saw Rev Bem standing in front of the huge window. She knew he was harmless but the Magog still gave her the creeps. He turned as the door whooshed shut. "Sorry, did you want to be alone?" Estay asked nervously.  
  
"No, no, please come in," Rev Bem said quickly. "Well, you look nice. I barely recognized you."  
  
"Thanks," Estay said, fidgeting.  
  
Rev Bem watched her intently. "You are afraid because of the way I look?" he asked, holding out his clawed hands.  
  
"No, no," Estay assured him. She sighed. "It's just I've never met a Magog before and I thought that if I ever did I'd end up being dinner. No offense," she added quickly.  
  
"None taken," Rev said smiling. He motioned toward one of the benches. "Would you like to sit down?"  
  
Estay nodded and sat down on the bench facing the window. Rev Bem sat down next to her, but far enough away not to make her nervous. "So..." Estay said. "This ship...is it a good place to live?"  
  
"It is not always the quietest or safest place to live, but we are helping to bring peace to a Universe in chaos. I think that makes it a good place to live," Rev Bem replied.  
  
Estay nodded. "Yeah, well, I've never lived in a safe place or even a quiet place, and I don't plan to start. As for helping the Universe, I could get used to it."  
  
"You do not have to get used to it," Rev Bem remarked.  
  
"What do you mean?" Estay asked, puzzled.  
  
"Perhaps you should do what makes you happy."  
  
Estay laughed. "No. Dylan said if I start stealing, I'm off at the next orphanage."  
  
"Stealing is what makes you happy. That is what you wish to do for the rest of your life?"  
  
Estay was silent. She'd never stopped to think about whether or not she like being a theif. She'd never had a choice before. "I don't know. I never thought about it."  
  
Rev Bem rose. "Then, I will leave you alone with the universe," he motioned toward the stars out the window, "to contemplate your true path."  
  
**************************  
  
Rullin walked over to the punching bag. He was bored. He'd decided to practice fighting so that when they got into trouble next time, Estay would let him fight too. He punched the bag it swung back. He smiled and punched again. Unfortunately, it moved and he missed completely. He tried again and missed again. He missed three more times.  
  
Suddenly, he heard an impatient sigh from behind him. The Nietzschean stormed over to the Rullin. "What are you doing, Boy?"  
  
Rully gulped. "Sorry sir, I was just practicing my fighting," he said quietly.  
  
"Well, the bag was winning." Tyr grabbed the bag and steadied it. "Try it now." Rullin regarded him fearfully. "Hit the bag Boy!" Tyr barked. Rully jumped and gave the bag a weak punch. The Nietzschean flashed him an annoyed look. "If this were a fight, your opponent would crush you like a bug...after he stopped laughing."   
  
Rullin looked down dejectedly. "Sorry."  
  
"You need to put your body weight behind it," Tyr said. "Like this." He thrust the bag into Rully's hands, then stepped back and punched. Rullin ended up sprawled on the floor from the force of it. He scrambled back up and punched the bag like Tyr had shown him. "Better," the Nietzschean remarked evenly. "You'll need a lot of work. Your lessons start tomorrow, Boy. Meet me here at 0800 hours and don't be late."  
  
Rullin's eye's widened. "Thank you sir." He ran out of the room.   
  
As the boy left, Tyr noticed Beka leaning against the wall next to the door. She had an amused look on her face. "What?" Tyr demanded. "It's good exercise for me. Besides, we need all the people we can get in a fight."  
  
"Whatever you say, Tyr," Beka said smirking. She walked out before he could reply.  
  
Tyr growled and hit the punching bag.   
  
  
  
Whew, I am sooo rusty. Tell me how you liked it. I hope to have more out soon. 


End file.
